This application requests support for travel expenses to enable young U.S. investigators to attend and participate in the biennial Bioiron World Congress on Iron Metabolism (Bioiron 2005). The application also requests support provide travel expenses for senior investigators whose expertise may not be in iron but whose participation in the meeting would be of benefit to the field. A special emphasis will be given to the support of women, members of minority subpopulations, persons with disabilities and other individuals who have been traditionally underrepresented in science. Bioiron 2005 is recognized as the premier international conference on iron in physiology and medicine. The Bioiron conferences bring together clinicians and researchers in a meeting that combines state-of-the-art sessions and symposia given by the world's leading investigators with peer-reviewed presentations and posters of the latest research results. Recent progress in this field, especially the discovery of genes whose products are involved in the regulation of cellular iron uptake and distribution in humans, has made participation in this meeting essential for the development of young U.S. investigators working in this area. Conference abstracts are published in full and distributed to all participants. Major topics to be considered in Bioiron 2005 include, animal models of disorders of iron metabolism, mechanisms and regulation of iron transport and storage, analysis of genes that lead to iron overload disease including both HFE and non-HFE hereditary hemochromatosis. Sessions will focus on the role of iron in the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems. Special attention will be given to clinical issues such as treatment of iron overload disorders and anemia, and the potential role of iron-chelator therapy in disease prevention and management. Bioiron 2005 will be held in Prague Czech Republic from May 22 to May 28 2005. The overall goal of the Bioiron (2005) World Congress is the international dissemination of important new research results to investigators working in the field of iron metabolism.